Among more than 200 adolescents 12 to 18 years of age over a 68-week period, nearly 75% of those in the treatment group experienced weight loss of > 5%, compared with only about 15% of those with placebo plus lifestyle intervention. GI adverse events were more common in the treatment group.

To combat weight gain after bariatric surgery, a single weekly 1-mg dose of semaglutide outperformed liraglutide at 3-mg daily. About half the semaglutide group were able to lose more than 10% of their body weight, versus about 1/3 for the liraglutide group.

In a retrospectives study with a 13-month follow up, bariatric surgery patients were 16% less likely to die versus matched non-surgical counterparts. However, surgery patients were more than twice as likely to die by suicide and that risk of suicide was significantly higher in those ages 18-34.

Eighty-eight children ages 6 through 12 were randomized to daily pine bark extract, methylphenidate, or placebo for 10 weeks. Total ADHD-Rating Scales scores decreased 29% with pine bark extract, 45% with methylphenidate, and 5% with placebo. Hyperactivity/impulsivity decreased 34% with pine bark extract and 36% with methylphenidate and increased 1% with placebo. Inattention decreased 25% with pine bark extract, 52% with methylphenidate, 9% with placebo. Adverse events were reported 5 times more frequently with methylphenidate than with pine bark.

“Because medicine abhors a therapeutic vacuum,” the hallucinogens psilocybin and LSD are being revisited as potential candidates for treating depression. But effect size seems less than that of currently approved antidepressants.

Along with well-known prodromal features like tremor, other signs were identified as potential early indicators. These include sensory skin changes, diabetes, inflammatory conditions, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome.